Improvement in wrenches



N. PETERS, FHOTO-UTHOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON. D cA UNrTED STATES GEORGE MEADER, OF OTTAWA, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN WRENCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. llll, dated January 17, 1865.

`To a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, GEORGE MEADER, o Ottawa, in the county of La Salle and Sti te of Illinois, have invented a new and Improv ed .Vrencli; and I do hereby declare that the iollowing is a full, clear, and exact description oi the saine, reference being had to the accom panying drawings, making a part of thir specification, in which- Figurc l is a side view of my invention, partly in section; Fig. 2,an end view ot' the same.

Similarletters of reference indicate correspondine,l parts in the two iigures.

rl`his invention consists in having two slid ingjaws tted to the straight edge of a sem".` circular ratchet-plate and arranged with a right-and left-hand screw in such a manner that by turning said screw vthe jaws may b i adjusted at a greater or less distance apartt i suit nuts of dii'erent sizes, the ratchet-plat s being fitted on an axis in a suitable handla which is provided with a pawl, and all so a1- ranged that the wrench may be used like an ordinary monkey or screw wrench, and, whe l necessary, used as rotary or ratchet wrench, as hereinafter set forth.

To enable those skilled in -the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents the shank or tang of the wrench, which is constructed ot' metal and provided with a handle, B, which may he of wood or ot inet-al. It'of thelatter material,the handle and shank may be constructed all ot' one piece.

4The end ofthe shank A has a slot or recess, 0,

made longitudinally in it to receive a semicircular plate, O, which works on pin cit, and has ratchet teeth b on its curved edge, and its straight edge has a dovetail projection, c, at each side, which it in dovetail recesses d in the inner ends of jaws D D, said jaws tein g allowed to slide freely on the straight edge ot' the plate C. Thesejaws D D are adjusted simultaneously nearer together or farther apart by means of a rod, E, which has a right and a left hand screw, o c', cut upon it, said screws working in female threads in the jaws.

-At the center of the rod E there is a thumbwheel, F, milled at its periphery, and having a groove, j, made circumferentially in it to receive a projection, g, on the straight edge of the ratchet-plate C. rlhe rod E is turned through the medium of the thumb wheel F, he projection g, in consequence of fitting in the groovej', preventing the rod E from moving longitudinally.

G is a pawl, which is fitted in the shank A and has a spiral or other spring, H, bearing against it to keep it engaged with the teeth i) ot' the plate O, as shown clearly in Fig. l.

The device is used as follows: 4'.lhe plate O is turned or adjusted in the shank A, so that the two jaws D D will be at right angles with the shank A, and the jaws are then adjusted to the nut to be turned by turning the rod E. The shank A is then moved or vibrated so as to turn the plate O and jaws D D, the pawl G slipping over the teeth b of plate C when moved in the direction indicated by the arrow l, and catching into the teeth and moving the plate and jaws when moved in the direction ot' arrow 2. By this means the plate O and nut may be turned halt' a revolution. The jaws are then removed from the nut and the lower end of the pawl G pressed inward to release the plate O, and admit of it heilig turned back, so that the operation may be repeated until the nut is operated upon as long as desired. The implement may also be used as an ordinary working or screw wrench by taking the jaws from the nut after each movement ot the wrench and applying' them thereto previous to each movement, and the implement possesses the advanage of allowing the jaws D D, by the adjust-ment of the plate O, to be set at any convenient angle with the shank A.

rlhe plate O has a series of holes, h, made in it, of different sizes and provided each with internal screws for the purpose of forming a screw-plate for cutting screws, and the shank A, near the junction of the handle B, has a taper rectangular opening, j, made in it to receive the head of taps for cutting screws, the whole forming a very convenient implement.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

As a new article of manufacture, the adjustable wrench, constructed and operating as herein described.

GEO. MEADER.

Vitnesses M. P. FINN, LAWRENCE WHITE. 

